The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Callistemon commonly called “Bottlebrush” that is grown and used as a hedging plant or used as a feature plant in ornamental containers. The new variety is known botanically as Callistemon viminalis and will be referred to hereinafter by the variety name ‘Matthew Flinders’.
Callistemons are evergreen trees or shrubs of the family Myrtaceae which are native to Australia. Taller forms are used as street trees in frost-free regions of the United States, especially in coastal southern California. Two widely distributed forms of Callistemon are Callistemon viminalis ‘Captain Cook’ (unpatented) and Callistemon viminalis ‘Little John’ (unpatented) both of which have been in commerce for approximately thirty years. Callistemon ‘Captain Cook’ is grown for its ability to form a shrub whose spread is similar to its height, namely approximately 2 meters at maturity. Callistemon ‘Little John’ is of similar proportions but only achieves a mature height of approximately 1 meter.
In the early 1990s, the inventor carried out a deliberate cross between Callistemon ‘Captain Cook’ as seed parent with Callistemon ‘Little John’ as pollen parent. Seed from this cross was sown to produce F1 seedlings which were then planted out of doors in a field trials bed at the inventor's nursery in Queensland, Australia. The established plants were allowed to flower and selectively used for a second round of crosses. For the second round of crosses, the inventor selected prospective male and female parents based on their field performance, especially promising combinations of dwarfness of habit, dense fine-leaved foliage, and number and brilliance of the characteristic red “bottle brush” flowers. The inventor collected seed from the second round of successfully pollinated parents. The collected seed was sown out of doors and the resulting seedlings were transplanted in the field in 1993 and allowed to grow naturally.
The inventor selected ‘Matthew Flinders’ in 1995 as a single whole plant from amongst the field population of second generation crosses. The inventor considered that ‘Matthew Flinders’ possessed unique characteristics in combination, namely a dwarf, dense and compact growth habit comprised of attractive fine green leaves and numerous bright red “bottle brush” type flowers.
When compared with the original male parent, Callistemon ‘Little John’, ‘Matthew Flinders’ is of similar size, shape and habit, but exhibits fine green leaves (137A on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart), whereas the leaves of Callistemon ‘Little John’ are approximately 30% to 40% longer and 30% to 40% wider than the leaves of ‘Matthew Flinders’ and of a more grayed-green coloration (189A on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart).
When compared with the original female parent, Callistemon ‘Captain Cook’, ‘Matthew Flinders’ is shorter and grows with a denser habit. Callistemon ‘Captain Cook’ develops an open habit as growth proceeds. The leaves of Callistemon ‘Captain Cook’ are 50% longer than the leaves of ‘Matthew Flinders’ although the width of the leaves of both varieties are similar, as is the color of the leaves.
The most similar variety to ‘Matthew Flinders’ known to the inventor is the male parent Callistemon ‘Little John’. ‘Matthew Flinders’ differs from Callistemon ‘Little John’ as set forth above, and also in exhibiting a reddish color of bud prior to the opening of the flower spike, whereas the buds of Callistemon ‘Little John’ are green in color at this stage.
The inventor carried out the first asexual reproduction of ‘Matthew Flinders’ in 1997 at the inventor's propagation nursery at Wellington Point, Queensland, Australia, by rooting softwood cuttings taken from the originally selected single plant ‘Matthew Flinders’. All of the resulting plants exhibited the typical characteristics of ‘Matthew Flinders’. The inventor has determined from successive generations of asexual reproduction that the new variety ‘Matthew Flinders’ is stable and reproduces true to type.
An application for a grant of Australian Plant Breeders Rights for ‘Matthew Flinders’ has been filed as application number 2003/179 which was accepted for publication on Aug. 25, 2003. The application is pending at the Plant Breeders Rights Office of Australia.
The first sale or public distribution of ‘Matthew Flinders’ took place on Sep. 1, 2004.